Becky asked the Guru about her Hip pain which she’s had since London Marathon

Hi
I drastically under-trained for the London Marathon this April, but did it anyway without significant pain at the time. However, since then my left hip (and now knee too) has been getting worse – by now there is a dull ache almost all the time, made worse by sitting for long periods (not good as I do a lot of time sitting in airplanes).
Any ideas?

Hi Becky

Lots of ideas, loads of solutions….

But I need some more information:

• Where about is the pain?
• Do you have any painful movements, apart from sitting?
• Does anything make it feel better?
• Are you running now?
• What’s it like if you do a repeated single knee bend?
• Do you have pain elsewhere apart from your hip?
• How old age you?

The more clues the better!

The Guru
Six Physio

Becky answered the Guru’s questions:

• Where about is the pain?  It feels like it is inside my hip.
• Do you have any painful movements, apart from sitting? Yes, any wide movement of my hip hurts. Turning my foot out like a ballet dancer really hurts. And yesterday when my leg dropped off the side of my bed while I was asleep it was excruciating (so the movement was both out and back). Crossing my legs over the knee also hurts.
• Does anything make it feel better? Seems to improve with walking.
• Are you running now? No
• What’s it like if you do a repeated single knee bend? That’s fine, no pain flexing my knees.
• Do you have pain elsewhere apart from your hip? No, although by the time I got off a plane from New York on Sunday there was muscular pain running down my left leg. It also hurts if I sit/lean on my opposite hip. When I had a post marathon massage, the therapist said he thought I had an issue with my right hip more than my left.
• How old age you? 43 and overweight.

And the Guru responded:

OK – Thanks. Some direct as to what’s what……

The deep inside your hip pain can be really (obviously!) characteristic of a true issue with your hip.However more frequently hip pain is a knock on effect of something else happening elsewhere, say an issue with your lower back which either refers pain it not your hip or the muscle stiffen up around your back and “over compress” your hip.

So, what’s the plan….due to age, poor training and a little over your fighting weight I think the first port of call is getting your hip x-rayed. Why? Well I don’t think anything is broken, but I think you may have overloaded your tissue in and/or around the joint itself. This maybe a simple stress reaction that needs rest and a bit of TLC and rehab, or irritated tissue like your labrum (like the cartilage of your knee), however this is better seen on MRI but first things first!

Avoid stretching and pulling it around, sort out the X-ray via your GP and then make sure you can go and see someone who can guide you in the right direction if your GP can’t.

The Guru

Six Physio